


I've found a place to go / In your heart of gold

by morebooksplease



Category: Anne of Green Gables (TV 1985) & Related Fandoms, Anne of Green Gables - L. M. Montgomery, Anne with an E (TV)
Genre: Fluff, How Do I Tag This, Mutual Pining, Pining, Shirbert, a lot of it, first fic, oblivious kids, wow i sorta hate this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-21
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-24 09:39:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17098169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/morebooksplease/pseuds/morebooksplease
Summary: Fic is set a few months after the end of season 2, please just bear with me while I try to write this.“Hey Blythe, how is your girl Anne doing?”With that Gilbert had turned a fierce red that could nearly rival a certain girl’s hair.





	1. I feel it in my soul

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my first time trying to write a fic, I wrote this at like midnight so it's gonna be sorta rough.  
> I'll add more characters as the story progresses, but I don't plan to make this story very long.  
> If you notice any errors please point them out!  
> The title is barely relevant to the story, but I really liked the lyrics. Its from My Boy / My Girl by the Cannibal Kids

Gilbert hadn’t realized how quickly Anne had become a daily part of his life. Well, maybe quickly wasn’t the right word since it had taken him months to convince her to be friends with him. But ever since Bash and Mary’s wedding, Anne had been kinder and had stopped full-on ignoring him. 

Ever since Anne had chosen a vocation, Miss. Stacy had begun tutoring her in the mornings as well. This situation however did nothing but increase Gilbert’s adoration for his classmate. They had taken to sitting side by side at the front desks, so they would have better access to the board (or at least that’s what they both told themselves). They both showed up bright and early in the mornings, Gilbert leaving an apple on her desk while Anne would tell him about all the wonders she had seen in the woods that morning. Both of them had quickly become accustomed to their routines, much to Miss. Stacy’s entertainment.

Gilbert had found himself grinning at how closely he and Anne had grown over the past few months, he couldn’t imagine not being able to talk to her about their studies, or not listening to her tales. At this point he would think about Anne at almost every waking moment, he would be trying to listen to Miss. Stacy’s lesson but he would get distracted by how Anne’s hair seemed to shine in the sun, or by Anne’s wonderful recitation of her adventures, it often caused him some trouble but he couldn’t bring himself to care. After all, the day seemed to go by much quicker whenever he was thinking about Anne.

After class, Miss. Stacy had asked both Anne and Gilbert to stay behind for a while. A thousand different thoughts flew by his head, ‘would she be cancelling the morning classes? That won’t do, it is one of the few times I’m able to talk to her alone’. As the rest of the class gathered their things and walked out, he heard Diana ask Anne if she wanted her to wait to which quickly replied that it wasn’t necessary. He walked towards Miss. Stacy’s desk, and heard familiar footsteps step into place beside him.

“Oh Gil, what in the world did you do this time?” asked Anne with a teasing voice and a gorgeous grin on her face.

“Why Anne, I think you’re a bit confused. The true question is what did you do that resulted to a summoning from Miss. Stacy.” He replied with a slight shove to her side, a joking grin on his face.

Anne had opened her mouth to retort but she was interrupted by Miss. Stacy’s amused voice.

“Just when I think you two might be over the constant bickering, I’m proved wrong yet again” 

“Why my beloved Miss. Stacy, you should know that the bickering between Gilbert and I is only for our amusement, although he does make it very easy for me to make fun of him at times. But truth be told we are good friends, or at least” she added, her voice trailing off a bit “I think we are…” 

She turned to look up at him, a questioning look on her pale face. Now, Gilbert Blythe was not a dense or foolish person. He knew what his feelings for Anne were, but he could never admit it aloud, not now. 

“Of course, Anne” he responded with a wide and bashful smile “there is very little you could do or say that would deter me from you” 

The smile she gave him made his small lie worth it. Her eyes were positively divine, blue irises that seemed to hold the entire ocean and heavens in them. How anyone could think that Anne Shirley-Cuthbert was “homely” or “plain” was beyond him.

Neither of the two had realized they had been staring at each other far longer than what was appropriate for the setting. Miss. Stacy apologetically cleared her throat, and the two practically jumped away from each other, faces blooming red. She had secretly been rooting for the two to discover their true feelings for one another, hence the shared tutoring sessions. But she had urgent business to attend to at the moment. 

“Now, I have some business to attend to in Charlottetown this evening and I will not be getting back until the late morning. So unfortunately I will not be able to be here for our session tomorrow morning; however I will stay after class if you two wish to have our session then.”

Miss. Stacy looked towards her two prized pupils, who had somehow wandered closer to each other while she explained the situation. Anne was the first to speak, her blue eyes growing wide.

“Oh Miss. Stacy, what are you going to Charlottetown for? I wonder, do you secretly have a beau you are going to visit? Or maybe your sister—“

Gilbert looked towards Anne fondly, wondering how she came up with so many theories in a short span of time.

“Anne” interrupted Miss. Stacy “Surely I don’t have to assign yet another essay on the perils of gossip do I?” With that, Anne’s enthusiastic face turned apologetic and slightly embarrassed.

“Oh Miss. Stacy I sincerely apologize, you know I do tend to get carried away at times” added Anne quickly. Meanwhile, Gilbert only continued to gaze at Anne with what could only be described as enamored eyes.

“Of course Anne, you know I’m only trying to look out for you” She added with a smile, eyes gleaming with pride “Now, what do you say to the afternoon session? It would only be for tomorrow unless the situation changes” 

Gilbert considered his options, there was absolutely no way he would voluntarily give up his sessions or his time with Anne. He supposed he could explain the situation to Bash, who would certainly not protest to spending more time alone with his new bride. 

“That sounds excellent to me Miss. Stacy” Gilbert said “Thank you for making accommodations for us” He gave his teacher a grateful smile and played with the end of his sleeve nervously while he awaited Anne’s response.

“I don’t suppose Marilla will have any objections, so yes I would very much like to attend the afternoon session” Anne said with a smile 

“Splendid, well that is all, you two best be on your way now” Miss. Stacy said “I’ll see you both tomorrow, and don’t forget to do the reading assignment!”

With that Gilbert began gathering his things after nodding in the direction of his teacher. He was all ready to go until he noticed Anne struggling to put on her coat and hold her books at the same time.

“Let me help you with that” he said as he made his way towards her

“Oh it’s quite alright, I can do this myself” she replied with a determined look.  
Almost as soon as she had uttered those words both her books and coat fell out of her hands. Gilbert quickly put his own books down and helped gather hers. He held her coat out so she could easily grab it from him but to Gilbert’s surprise, Anne slid her arms through the openings and put it on as he held it for her. She was so very close at the moment, and he swore he could almost smell the ocean. He watched as she arranged her braids, and wondered how it would feel to run his own fingers through her hair. His hands, as if acting on impulse, reached out for the braids and gently stroked her tresses. He hadn’t even fully realized he was doing so until he heard Anne let out a quiet gasp. He quickly retracted his hand upon realizing, his hand aching to feel her hair again.

“Anne, I am so terribly sorry for overstepping my boundaries” Gilbert exclaimed with a rising blush on his face “I don’t exactly know what came over me and –“

“Gil, don’t worry about it” Anne interrupted, with a face as equally red “I uh I did not mind it.” She added with a smile

Both of them walked out of the humble schoolhouse in silence, mentally willing their blushes to go down. 

Gilbert was the first to break the silence 

“I suppose I’ll see you tomorrow then” He said in a shy tone, staring directly at her

“Yes, I look forward to it” She replied, giving him a slight smile. 

Neither of them truly wanted to leave yet, they stood there staring at each other, much like on that day when they had run into each other at Charlottetown. The only difference was that there was no Jerry there to interrupt them.

Later that day, Gilbert arrived home with foolish smile on his face.

As soon as Bash had seen the look on his face he knew exactly the reason.

“Hey Blythe, how is your girl Anne doing?”

With that Gilbert had turned a fierce red that could nearly rival a certain girl’s hair.


	2. Everything you do makes my heart stop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Turns out Gilbert didn’t want the pearls, or the white dress she had on in his vision. He was perfectly content to watch her preform in her brown dress and twin braids. 
> 
> He was content with his version of Anne Shirley-Cuthbert, he only wanted her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry. Basically I had a bunch of ideas in my head for this fic, but instead of just choosing one story line I decided to use all of them.  
> I also might add another chapter but I'm still not sure  
> Thanks for your support!

Gilbert was late. 

Well not late per se, but by his own standards he was. Everyone else would be settling in and he could barely see the schoolhouse in his sights. He briefly wondered if Anne would miss him if he wasn’t in class, but quickly shrugged the thought off and hurried his pace to reach his destination.

To class, to Anne, to the newly familiar feeling of home

\--  
He was actually late this time.

He had gotten sidetracked during his short walk, though through no fault of his own. He had simply stopped to admire a flower that Anne had gushed over a few weeks before.  
They had been walking around with their teacher when they stumbled into the grove, Anne immediately surrounding the red flower. Miss. Stacy had called it a Red Chrysanthemum and had launched into a full conversation about the flower’s meaning, among other things. However, Gilbert couldn’t seem to recall any information other than the name, he supposed a certain imaginative girl had distracted him by then. 

Gilbert smiled fondly as he remembered Anne’s enthusiasm about the flower, he decided that the meager setting it was in did not grant it justice, but it would most definitely look splendid in a blue-eyed girl’s hair. 

Gilbert resolved to give Anne the flower and plucked the flower away from its stem. He had almost immediately felt guilty for essentially murdering the poor flower, but eventually decided that Anne’s beaming smile would make the whole ordeal worth it.

Miss. Stacy had already begun her lesson by the time he had walked in. He put away his coat and held onto all the supplies he would need in the classroom, he was just about to settle into his seat before he remembered Anne’s flower and her daily apple. 

“Miss. Stacy, I am dreadfully sorry for arriving late” he said, as he walked to Anne’s seat with the apple and flower in hand “It seems that I lost track of time”

“Good morning, Anne” Gilbert whispered as he gently put the flower and apple on Anne’s desk. 

The curly-haired boy had only managed to briefly smile at the girl before walking back to his assigned desk, he hadn’t even gotten to see her reaction to the flower. It wasn’t until he had taken his seat that he had realized that the entire class was buzzing with whispers, all of their questioning gazes on him. 

“It’s quite alright Gilbert, just don’t let it happen again.” said Miss. Stacy “Alright class, where were we?” 

Meanwhile, Diana watched as her dear bosom friend stared at the red flower on her desk, her blush not quite as bright as the flower’s color, but was certainly getting there.  
Diana’s eyes widened as she examined the flower 

“Is that not a Red Chrysanthemum?” she whispered 

“Yes” Anne replied, turning to look towards Diana, an unreadable look on her usually open face

“I might be wrong, but does that not represent—“ 

“Love?” Anne interrupted “yes it does” she uttered with wide eyes.

Diana Barry was not a fool, she knew of the feelings her Anne had for their classmate and she certainly had a suspicion that it was not unrequited. 

Consequentially, so did Ruby. 

\---  
Once the class had been dismissed for lunch, it took all but a few seconds for the boys to surround Gilbert.

“Gil, what in the world was that?” exclaimed Charlie “I didn’t even know you two were like that”

“Bud c’mon, you can do so much better than some orphan girl” sneered Billy 

“Billy, how many times do I have to tell you that I am not your bud” Gilbert snapped as he stood up from his chair “I’ll catch up to you boys later” 

By the time Gilbert had walked away from his classmates, most of the girls had already settled under the shade of a nearby tree. He looked around, hoping to spot Anne, before he found her walking in his direction. She was acting different than usual, her gait not quite the same.

“Anne, how are you on this fine morning?” Gilbert asked with a smile, his hand running through his hair

“I am quite alright, thank you” replied the girl, with a shaky smile “Gil, I wanted to thank you for the flower you gave me earlier, it truly means a lot that you got it for me.”

“Of course, Anne—“ 

“Anne!” exclaimed a nearby voice, belonging to none other but Ruby Gillis “Anne, I must speak to you at once” and with that Ruby dragged a clearly nervous Anne away.

Gilbert watched helplessly as both girls disappeared behind the schoolhouse, he needed to find a distraction quickly; otherwise he would just worry about Anne. He reflected back on their most recent conversation, since when had Anne begun to call him ‘Gil’?, he surely would have noticed that before. The unsuspecting boy was so lost in his thoughts, he hadn’t even noticed when a certain Diana Barry had appeared by his side.

“Would you like a strawberry tart?” asked Diana Barry, strawberry tart in hand and smile on her face

“Well how can I say no to a tart from Diana Barry herself” Gilbert teased

Diana laughed before handing him the tart. The tart was perfectly baked, and the taste was even more exquisite than the appearance. 

“What do you think they’re talking about?” He asked, no longer able to restrain himself, the curiosity was simply eating him alive.

“It’s nothing to fret about, Ruby is just saying something that needed to be said” Diana replied coolly, hands straightening out her skirt “I’m sure they won’t be too long”

“Any time spent without seeing Anne feels like an absolute eternity” replied Gilbert, eyes growing wide as he realized what he had said

Diana simply laughed 

“Well, it seems you and I agree on that point” 

\---  
It had only been a few more minutes before Anne and Ruby had come back. Gilbert was grateful that Diana had stayed with him, otherwise he wouldn’t have been able to wait so long without worrying.

He admired Anne’s hair from a distance, the red seemed to glow in the sunlight. It gave her hair the appearance of fire, fire that could certainly burn him alive if he wasn’t cautious.

He was shook out of his reverie by Ruby standing right in front of him

“Gilbert Blythe, I will have you known that I have officially relinquished my dibs on you” she proclaimed, chin up and a proud smile on her face “I have decided that I shouldn’t spend all my time thinking of a boy when there are much other important things to think of such as my studies and my dearest friends.” Ruby added, smile growing fond as she reached out to grab Anne’s hand

“In light of this, I hope that you and I can finally become friends” she added, with a voice of finality.

Gilbert was still processing what Ruby had just said, he was mainly stuck on the dibs part.

“Dibs?” he asked, confusion clear on his face

“Best not get into that now,” exclaimed Diana, already leading the golden-haired girl away “Ruby, dear, why don’t we go eat lunch”

“Oh, of course.” Ruby said, turning to follow Diana before abruptly turning back “and I give you both my sincerest blessing” she said with a teasing glint in her eyes, leaving a very flustered Anne and a confused Gilbert in her wake.

\--  
“Alright class, don’t forget to practice for the spelling test tomorrow” exclaimed Miss. Stacy

All of the students hurried to get home, quickly gathering their things and bidding farewell to their teacher. Gilbert simply moved to the front desk and actively tried to not stare at Anne as she talked to Diana.  
He decided to busy himself by pulling out his copy of “The Highwayman” and reading through it. It had been difficult for him to concentrate on it, it seemed so boring there on paper. Gilbert felt that if he could hear someone reciting it, he would be able to understand it so much clearer. He could already imagine a red-haired girl (who suspiciously, looked much like an older version of Anne) with a white dress reading the morbid lines with passion. Pearls glinting in the sunlight, her voice bringing the scene to life-- 

“Are you still reading The Highwayman?” asked a voice he instantly recognized

“Yes” muttered Gilbert, turning to look at Anne “I can’t seem to get past this point, I feel as if in order to fully understand it, I need to hear it.”

Anne smiled at him, stepped back and straightened her skirts. She stood tall, as if preparing for an important presentation. Gilbert watched in amusement as she inhaled profusely.

“Luckily, I am most certainly able to help you with that” she said, before launching into her memorized recitation

Turns out Gilbert didn’t want the pearls, or the white dress she had on in his vision. He was perfectly content to watch her in her brown dress and twin braids. He was content with his version of Anne Shirley-Cuthbert, he only wanted her.

\--  
The rest of the session had blown by surprisingly fast much to Gilbert’s discontent.

“Stupendous job today,” said Miss. Stacy “I look forward to our session tomorrow morning” 

“As do I Miss. Stacy, thank you again for allowing us to stay after class” Gilbert replied with a crooked smile on his face, eyes shining.

“It is no trouble, dear,” replied Miss. Stacy “Gilbert, would you do me a favor and walk Anne back to Green Gables? I would simply hate for her to walk alone at these hours” 

Anne’s alarmed head shot straight up, as she looked over to their favorite teacher.

“Oh no, that won’t be necessary, I would not want to cause him any inconvenience” she exclaimed, adjusting the belt on her books

“I was meaning to ask you anyways,” he explained, fingers reaching to tug on his sleeve “But if you don’t want me to accompany you I completely understand”

Gilbert was sure that it would absolutely break his heart if she refused, it was simply a walk but he longed for whatever time he could spend with her. A walk between just the two of them sounded divine.

“Well, I suppose” answered Anne “But only if you’re sure it’s no inconvenience, I couldn’t bear the thought of keeping you from home too long”

Little did she know, Gilbert had long begun to associate the feeling of home to her.

\--  
They had walked in silence for the first part of their walk, Anne stopping every few minutes to admire the nature surrounding them. Gilbert, ever the gentleman, was content with holding her books and simply watching her enjoy the wonders surrounding them. 

No matter how beautiful the view Anne pointed at was, Gilbert thought the most beautiful view of all was right in front of him.

It was halfway through their trek when Anne had quieted down

“I got the most dreadful of news today” she exclaimed 

Gilbert grew alarmed, and his body tensed. It must have been very serious if it had gotten Anne to be so quiet. He turned to look at her, giving her all of his attention

“My dear Diana will not be able to attend school tomorrow” 

He could basically hear the disappointment dripping from her voice. He was only happy that it wasn’t as serious as she had previously implied. Anne had stopped walking and had looked up towards him. Gilbert had completely lost his train of thought, distracted by the height difference between the two of them. Oh, how easy it would be to just gather her in his arms right there.

“Normally, I would be fine with it” She said, looking away “But Josie Pye keeps making fun of my hair and my freckles. Diana is usually there to fend her off, but with Diana gone, Josie will be worse than usual. Doesn’t she know that I simply cannot help it?”

Gilbert had never held Josie Pye in the highest esteem but knowing that she would poke fun at Anne, completely changed his aspect of her. 

“Just ignore her Anne,” Gilbert amended, eyes soft “It’s not like it is true”

Anne’s eyes snapped back to his, eyes ready to swallow him whole (he wouldn’t mind, really)

“Of course it’s true!” she yelled

Her hands went to her face, she began to aggressively rub at her freckled skin as if trying to take them off

“I just wish I could simply wash them off” she exclaimed “It would make some of that torment much more bearable”

Gilbert grabbed her wrists, holding them firmly but not hard enough to hurt her. 

“No!” Gilbert exclaimed “Please don’t get rid of them, I—“

Gilbert struggled to find the proper words to explain how fond he was of her freckles. 

“Anne, when you look at the stars, what do you think of?” he asked, eyes staring straight at her 

“Well, I think they’re absolutely breathtaking” she responded, not moving her hands “Words truly do not do them justice.”

His face softened, if only Anne understood that every aspect of her reminded him of stars

“Precisely, and it just so happens that your freckles remind me of the brightest of stars” he explained, his face turning rosy. “Please, do not try to get rid of them. I have come to be rather fond of them.

Both of their faces had turned red at this point. Their hands had become intertwined at some point in their conversation, neither of them seemed to mind it.

For one of the few times in her life, Anne was rendered speechless. Gilbert’s fingers twitched nervously, he untangled one of his hands. His hand was now caressing her cheek, thumb following the constellations of freckles all over her face. He simply wanted to relish in the feel of her skin for the rest of his days.

There they stood a boy and girl basking in each other presence in a blooming forest.

“I suppose, I can leave them alone then” Anne suggested, he could faintly feel her breath on his neck. 

“But, only for you” she added

Gilbert gave her a truly radiant smile, reserved only for Anne. She returned the smile, eyes turning shy.

“Well, I suppose that is all I can ask for” he whispered, relief clear on his voice

Anne stepped away, and Gilbert immediately dropped his hand from her face. He already found himself missing the warmth she provided

“Well, we must be on our way” she lamented

The two of them set off for Green Gables, chatting contentedly about the strangest of things. 

Gilbert walked Anne home the next day as well

And the day after that

And quite possible for the rest of the week as well

There had always been sparks between the two, but now the change was obvious. The air between them had changed to something more intense, they both knew what they wanted and it was only a matter of time now.


End file.
